Welcome to First Grade!

We are so excited to be teaching your children this year, and we look forward to a wonderful year together! This year your first grader will participate in an active learning community and will develop: Independence Strong Academic Skills Social Skills Friendships                                    Problem Solving Skills A Love of Learning

Typical Schedule RISE (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) Morning Meeting Specials (P.E., Music, Art, Library/Computer Lab) Literacy Snack Writer’s Workshop Recess (11:55 – 12:25) Lunch (12:35 – 1:05) Math Science/Social Studies Book Buddies

Monday, Wednesday, Friday ~ 8:45 – 9:15 RISE Monday, Wednesday, Friday ~ 8:45 – 9:15 Flexible groupings of students across the grade for 6-8 week sessions All children will participate in RISE. Your child will participate in one of the following ways: Small group with a first grade teacher, independent practice, partner or group work, projects, reading, writing and/or math

PBIS Duffy Promise As Duffy citizens, we show respect, demonstrate compassion, and take responsibility for our learning and our actions. We focus on positive behaviors with a goal of increasing academic success We use common language and explicitly teach behavior expectations Students earn tickets individually, each class earns scales on a dragon, and all Duffy students work toward school wide celebrations

Students will develop a positive, growth mindset about math Students will be engaged in mathematical problem solving Mathematical thinking and reasoning (the process) will be stressed Problems can be solved in more than one way and students will need to model and explain their solution Solutions will then be discussed, compared and contrasted

Mathematical Practice Standards Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. Reason abstractly and quantitatively. 1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. 2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively. 3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. 4. Model with mathematics. 5. Use appropriate tools strategically. 6. Attend to precision. 7. Look for and make use of structure. 8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

Math instruction will focus on: Operations and Algebraic Reasoning Story problems and equations Fluency of addition and subtraction facts within 10 Number and Operations in Base Ten Counting Place Value Measurement and Data Measure lengths Tell time to hour and half hour Represent and interpret data Geometry 2D and 3D shapes and their attributes

Whole Group Instruction Small Group Instruction Math Block Whole Group Instruction Small Group Instruction Number Talks Guided Practice Independent Practice Math Centers

Literacy instruction will focus on: Phonological Awareness, Phonics and Word Recognition Skills Speaking and Listening Reading with Fluency Identifying Key Ideas and Details Understanding the Structure of Texts Integrating Knowledge and Ideas Within and Across Texts

Literacy Block Whole Group Small Group Guided Reading Independent Practice Independent Reading Literacy Centers

Guided Reading (differentiated small group instruction) Reading Hand Strategies for reading unfamiliar words

Intervention Support Small group instruction or 1:1 intervention in the classroom or with a literacy or math interventionist for students who need extra support to meet grade level expectations Regular progress monitoring and communication with families

Writer’s Workshop Direct Instruction (mini-lesson) Independent Writing and Conferences Sharing and Celebrating Unit 1 - Creating a Community of Writers Unit 2 – Narrative Writing: Small Moments Unit 3 - Information Writing: Nonfiction Chapter Books Unit 4 - Opinion Writing: Writing Reviews

Writer’s Workshop Mini-lessons will focus on the writing process, conventions, and/or craft based on the needs of the students We will also focus on: Handwriting Spelling Editing (capitalization, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure) Revising (rewriting, adding details) Publishing

Handwriting Zaner-Bloser Instructional Program Keep your packet handy! Encourage your child to form the letters and numbers properly Use the arrows and correct language when helping your children at home

Social Studies - Geography Explore maps and their purpose Create maps Identify and locate places Use symbols, legends and keys Determine distance and direction

Social Studies - Civics Develop a positive self-concept Identify, understand and regulate emotions of self and others Develop an understanding of rules and responsibilities within communities Develop positive interpersonal relationships

Science Scientific Inquiry Life Science Living Things and their Needs (Insects) Physical Science Push and Pull Shadows

Health Healthy Heart Program (Nutrition and Wellness) Second Step (Skills for Learning, Empathy, Emotion Management, Problem Solving) Safety

Snack Please send a small, healthy snack to school with your child each day. Snack time is 10-15 minutes. Our classrooms are all nut free.  Please be sure to check food labels to ensure that we are keeping all of our students safe.

Reading each night Monday – Math activity Wednesday – Reading or Writing activity Optional monthly challenge projects

Seesaw Digital learning portfolio Opportunity to see what your child is learning We welcome your comments and feedback! We will send home directions for signing up soon

Field Trips More information coming soon…..

Extra Resources Visit our Duffy website! http://duffy.whps.org/ Take a Curriculum Night packet from the table in the back of the auditorium (packets are labeled with your child’s name)

It’s an exciting year to be a first grader at Duffy School! Get ready to watch your child GROW!